Herb Salt! My New Obsession. And the Contest Winner!
*We have a winner! Melissa Class of Wisconsin is the lucky recipient of Judita Wignall’s Raw Food Detox!*
This spring, I planted herbs. A lot of herbs, all in pots. I had no idea how they would do as it it is our first full summer in our new home. And the weather here is interesting. We can have a 15 degree difference between the front of the house and the back during the day. The back, where the pots are, can get unbelievably hot. Then the very next day, it can be 35 degrees colder! I planted all of the little herb babies and hoped for the best.
I have 3 types of oregano (and if you have never cooked with fresh oregano, oh boy is it good), 2 types of parsley, a ton of basil, two types of sage, rosemary, thyme, chives, tarragon and three types of mint. The cilantro bit the dust. I didn’t realize it didn’t like heat. Next year.
About a month ago, the herbs started going a little crazy. And now they are having a pure growing party! Which is exciting. And at the same time a bit overwhelming because I don’t want to see any of those beauties go to waste!
I jumped on the internet and started googling what to do with fresh herbs. As you can imagine, I was not at a loss for recipes. But I needed something that was going to use a lot of herbs, not just a sprinkling. I came across recipes for herb salt and I was intrigued. Not only did they use a lot of herbs, they have a great shelf life. I tried one. I am now completely obsessed.
I am obsessed because they taste amazing and can be used so many different ways. But also because the possibilities are unlimited. My first herb salt was the traditional Tuscan Herb Salt. Rosemary, sage and garlic are the stars. I branched out to parsley and garlic salt, basil salt, and a delicious “Herbs de Provence” salt made from rosemary, thyme, lavender and savory. You can even add lemon zest! The possibilities are mind boggling.
One of the best tips I have heard about cutting down on salt is to not salt when you are cooking but use your salt sparingly to dress your dish after it is done. That way, you get the biggest bang for your buck, so to speak. You taste the salt but so much less is needed. And with these herb salts, the flavor is so intense that you only need a little bit. I also cut way back on the salt in my recipe. Most recipes call for 4 to 5 times the salt that I used! I found that you needed very little salt to get great results.
I have sprinkled herb salts on all kinds of raw veggies and even popcorn (no…not raw). It is raw, so works great for raw recipes. It also works great for vegan recipes that are cooked. Last night we had a beautiful sliced heirloom tomato sprinkled with the salt. It was divine. It is also great on an ear of corn. It keeps beautifully and a little goes a long way. I truly hope you will try this recipe. Your taste buds will be thanking you.
Note: This can also be done in a food processor, but I like using a knife much better. It gives me more control. It is very easy to over-process this so be careful!
Tuscan Herb Salt
makes about 3/4 cup
- 2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 cups herbs (sage and rosemary)
- Remove the germ from the garlic if present. (see photo) It will be much more pleasing that way.
- Roughly chop the garlic into the salt.
- Chop the rosemary into the garlic salt mixture.
- Chop the sage into the garlic salt rosemary mixture.
- Spread on parchment and let air dry for 1-2 days, or place in dehydrator at 105 degrees until dry.
Alternatively, you can do this in a food processor. Go in the same order but be very careful not to over process. You will end up with mush.
martha wrote on July 18, 2015
Love all the recipes on your site and your books. I am newly raw and love how I feel. At 63 health has become my passion. I love to garden so everything is fresh. I also grow my herbs in pots and your selections are mine as well
as lemongrass and a small bay leaf tree. I have luck with cilantro in spring and fall. Remember to plant it in very deep pots. Cilantro has a tap root like a mini carrot and needs deep rich soil, otherwise it bolts, flowers, goes to seed and dies. And that’s perfect cause butterflies love the flowers, you can save the seed to replant or use as coriander. I love cilantro.
Anyone tried culantro? I hear it is used in Cuba and Mexico?
Susan wrote on July 18, 2015
Hi, Martha! How fun to hear about your herbs. I will definitely try cilantro in the fall. And planted deep. Thanks for the suggestions!
Helen Jameson wrote on July 18, 2015
Hi Susan,
Thanks for the recipe. How about using Pink Himalayan Mountain Salt to really enhance the mineral and trace elements in the salt mix..
Susan wrote on July 18, 2015
Hi, Helen, You can use Himalayan salt, in fact I specify it is all of my recipes. I didn’t with this one because the coarse ground doesn’t chop well. And it is hard to incorporate the herbs. The finer ground doesn’t have as pleasing of a texture. So. for this one, I did specify sea salt. Cheers!
Rosemary Sweetrose wrote on July 17, 2015
This looks so healthy, & I’m going to ad it to my favorites. Thanks for sharing.
Susan wrote on July 17, 2015
Hi, Rosemary You are welcome!
kim wrote on July 17, 2015
depends on the sea salt doesn’t it?
http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/real-salt-celtic-salt-and-himalayan-salt?utm_source=Master+List&utm_campaign=5713cca598-Greenmedinfo&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_af50e1f25a-5713cca598-87459373
Susan wrote on July 17, 2015
Hi, Kim, Yes, it does depend on the sea salt. I use almost 100% Himalayan salt but for this recipe, I wanted a course salt. I normally grind my salt but that was a little more difficult for this recipe. You can really use any salt you like. By the way…the article you linked to is using my photo! I dropped them a little note.
Judith Edwards wrote on July 17, 2015
Wonderful idea Susan as usual and thank you so much-I use Himalayan salt (pink) which is the purest on the planet they say… it would be GREAT if you registered and posted this herb salt idea on cancersurviving (where you will also find raves about your recipes) We are an international group built community site for cansurvivors- it’s a holistic process and body, mind & spirit are all involved.. do pass the site on- AND I WOULD LOVE YOU TO POST! Am in very hot Italy right now with a terrace full of herbs,so I am getting right down to this!
Susan wrote on July 17, 2015
Hi, Judith! Thanks so much for the kind words. We only post our recipes on this site but we love links! Thanks so much for letting me know about the site. I will check it out. 🙂
lili wrote on July 17, 2015
What would you use it on?
Susan wrote on July 17, 2015
Hi, Lili! You can use it on tons of foods. We even put it on popcorn. Just about anywhere you put salt, you can use an herb salt to boost the flavor. Just make sure the herbs you are using like the food that it is being put on. Cheers!
Dawn wrote on July 17, 2015
Your herbs look so healthy and beautiful — and the herb salt, well, you can just taste it by looking at how great it looks!!
Susan wrote on July 17, 2015
So glad you like it, Dawn! You have to make it. It will become an obsession for you too!
Angela wrote on July 17, 2015
Ooo, looks mouthwatering. I love salt but need to cut down my use of it due to HBP so this looks like a great way to do it. A lovely herby salt sprinkled over my favourite avocado, tomato and mozzarella salad sounds great.
Susan wrote on July 17, 2015
I love salt, too! And this is a much better way to use it. So much flavor! I hope you love it!